Method and operation for operation between wpan and wlan for a network interface card

ABSTRACT

A wireless network adapter may provide an absence indicator to devices in a first network to alert such devices to a time period when the wireless network adapter is not available in the first network. The wireless network adapter may operate in multiple networks, wherein the multiple networks are time division multiplexed on a same transmission channel. The absence indicator may be provided as a Notice Of Absence (NOA) Information Element (IE).

TECHNICAL FIELD

Some embodiments pertain to wireless communications and specifically towireless network adapter functions.

BACKGROUND

Wireless capability extends to a variety of devices to operate in amultiple networks. An individual device may have a different role toperform in the various networks. A wireless network adapter may supportany of a variety of protocols and procedures to support multiplenetworks.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless communication system, in accordance withexample embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) including adevice having a wireless network adapter operating as an Access Point(AP) for the WLAN, in accordance with example embodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates a Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) including adevice having a wireless network adapter operating as a mobile station(STA) in the WPAN, in accordance with example embodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates, in timing diagram form, operation of a device havinga wireless network adapter operating as an AP in a WLAN and as a STA ina WPAN, in accordance with example embodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates, in timing diagram form, operation of a device havinga wireless network adapter operating as an AP in a WLAN and as a STA ina WPAN, and including a Notice Of Absence (NOA), in accordance withexample embodiments.

FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C and 6D illustrate formats for NOA messages, inaccordance with example embodiments.

FIG. 7 illustrates a device having a wireless network adapter, inaccordance with example embodiments.

FIG. 8 illustrates a method, in flow diagram form, to determine and usea NOA message in accordance with example embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description and drawings sufficiently illustrate specificembodiments to enable those skilled in the art to practice embodiments.Other embodiments may incorporate structural, logical, electrical,process, and other changes. Examples merely typify possible variations.Portions and features of some embodiments may be included in, orsubstituted for, those of other embodiments. Embodiments set forth inthe claims encompass all available equivalents of those claims.

Methods and arrangements for wireless communications including a devicefor a wireless network adapter. In some embodiments a wireless networkadapter enables a device to operate as multiple elements in multiplewireless networks. In one example, a device participates incommunications in a WPAN as an AP, and participates in a communicationsin a WLAN as a STA. When operating as an AP, the device does notparticipate in communications as an STA. The device applies a NOAmessage to identify the time during which the device is operating as anAP.

FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless communication system 100 including a WPAN104 and a WLAN 102. A computing device 122 within the wirelesscommunication system 100 includes a wireless network adapter 120,wherein the computing device 122 communicates with the WLAN 102 via acommunication path 110 and communicates with the WPAN 104 via acommunication path 112. In some embodiments the wireless network adapter120 is a coupled to the computing device 122 and is a removable module.The WLAN 102 is links multiple computers and devices using a wirelesscommunication protocol, such as a spread-spectrum over-the-air protocol,which is adapted for communications in a local or limited area. The WLAN102 provides coverage for mobile users, such as laptop computer users,while maintaining connectivity to the WLAN. The computing device 122 isadapted to participate in communications within the WLAN 102, and mayoperate as an STA in the WLAN 102.

The computing device 122 may also participate in communications withinthe WPAN 104, wherein the computing device operates as an AP. An AP in awireless network may be referred to as a Wireless AP (WAP) to allowconnectivity within the WPAN 104, wherein an AP relays data betweenwireless devices and possibly with wired devices coupled to a devicewithin WPAN 104. The WPAN is a network to communicate among computerdevices within a personal network. The read of the WPAN 104 is smallcompared to the WLAN 102. The WPAN 104 may be used for communicationamong personal devices or for connecting to other networks, such as tothe Internet. In addition to the wireless communications, the WPAN 104may further include wired connections, such as using a computer bus.

In some embodiments the WPAN 104 is enabled for synchronization to allowa user to initiate a quick connection to the network and transfer ofinformation, wherein seamless bi-directional transfers are enabled onconnection to the network. The WPAN 104 supports a variety of functionsincluding file transfers by exploring a shared file system of connecteddevice and transferring files or directories among the various devicesof the WPAN 104, sharing a printer on the network, sharing display ofinformation among devices, and communicating with devices, such as chatsessions, gaming, and social network functions. The WPAN 104 may furtherbridge communications between the WPAN 104 and the WLAN 102, and act asa portal to other networks. The WPAN 102 may further support streamingof data, such as audio, video and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

In some embodiments the communication system 100 provides forcommunication among devices in multiple networks without requiring auser to switch between the services offered for the various networks.The communication system 100 supports concurrent and simultaneous use ofthe WPAN 104 and the WLAN 102. Background activities and operationcontinue without interruption and are not broken on switching allowingcontinuous network connectivity. The network adapter 120 allowsmaintenance of Internet and network activity while operating in the WPAN104, and enables listening to in-coming calls without disconnecting onuse of the WPAN 104. In other words, some embodiments support continuousWPAN 104 connectivity.

The wireless network adapter 120 may be part of a Network Interface Card(NIC) which operates simultaneously as an STA and an AP. In someembodiments the network adapter 120 operates to support functions of aBasic Service Set (BSS). The wireless network adapter 120 providesdynamic bandwidth allocation between the WLAN 102 and WPAN 104, andenables power saving in both modes of operation. The various deviceswithin the WLAN 102 view the wireless network adapter 120 as a STA, anddevices within the WPAN 104 view the wireless network adapter 120 as anAP. By communicating on a same channel, the WLAN and WPAN operations areallocated to time slots of the communication channel. The sharing ofbandwidth provides efficiencies in communication, requiring somecoordination to identify when the wireless network adapter 120 isavailable for the different operating modes.

In some embodiments, receiver 100 may be configured to receive OFDMcommunication signals over a multicarrier communication channel. TheOFDM signals may comprise a plurality of orthogonal subcarriers. In someof these multicarrier embodiments, receiver 100 may be part of awireless local area network (WLAN) communication station such as awireless access point (AP), base station or a mobile device including aWireless Fidelity (WiFi) device. In some broadband multicarrierembodiments, base stations 202 may be part of a broadband wirelessaccess (BWA) network communication station, such as a WorldwideInteroperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication station. Insome other broadband multicarrier embodiments, base stations 202 may bea 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Universal Terrestrial RadioAccess Network (UTRAN) Long-Term-Evolution (LTE) or aLong-Term-Evolution (LTE) communication station, although the scope ofthe invention is not limited in this respect. In these broadbandmulticarrier embodiments, base stations 202 and mobile stations 204 maybe configured to communicate in accordance with an orthogonal frequencydivision multiple access (OFDMA) technique.

In some embodiments, receiver 100 may be configured to receive signalsin accordance with specific communication standards, such as theInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standardsincluding IEEE 802.11-2007 and/or 802.11(n) standards and/or proposedspecifications for WLANs, although the scope of the invention is notlimited in this respect as they may also be suitable to transmit and/orreceive communications in accordance with other techniques andstandards. In some embodiments, receiver 100 may be configured toreceive signals in accordance with the IEEE 802.16-2004 and the IEEE802.16(e) standards for wireless metropolitan area networks (WMANs)including variations and evolutions thereof, although the scope of theinvention is not limited in this respect as they may also be suitable totransmit and/or receive communications in accordance with othertechniques and standards. In some embodiments, receiver 100 may beconfigured to receive signals in accordance with the UniversalTerrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) LTE communication standards.For more information with respect to the IEEE 802.11 and IEEE 802.16standards, please refer to “IEEE Standards for InformationTechnology—Telecommunications and Information Exchange betweenSystems”—Local Area Networks—Specific Requirements—Part 11 “Wireless LANMedium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY), ISO/IEC 8802-11:1999”, and Metropolitan Area Networks—Specific Requirements—Part 16:“Air Interface for Fixed Broadband Wireless Access Systems,” May 2005and related amendments/versions. For more information with respect toUTRAN LTE standards, see the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)standards for UTRAN-LTE, release 8, March 2008, including variations andevolutions thereof.

In some other embodiments, receiver 100 may be configured to receivesignals that were transmitted using one or more other modulationtechniques such as spread spectrum modulation (e.g., direct sequencecode division multiple access (DS-CDMA) and/or frequency hopping codedivision multiple access (FH-CDMA)), time-division multiplexing (TDM)modulation, and/or frequency-division multiplexing (FDM) modulation,although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, receiver 100 may be part of a portable wirelesscommunication device, such as a personal digital assistant (PDA), alaptop or portable computer with wireless communication capability, aweb tablet, a wireless telephone, a wireless headset, a pager, aninstant messaging device, a digital camera, an access point, atelevision, a medical device (e.g., a heart rate monitor, a bloodpressure monitor, etc.), or other device that may receive and/ortransmit information wirelessly.

Antennas 101 may comprise one or more directional or omnidirectionalantennas, including, for example, dipole antennas, monopole antennas,patch antennas, loop antennas, microstrip antennas or other types ofantennas suitable for transmission of RF signals. In some embodiments,instead of two or more antennas, a single antenna with multipleapertures may be used. In these embodiments, each aperture may beconsidered a separate antenna. In some MIMO embodiments, antennas 101may be effectively separated to take advantage of spatial diversity andthe different channel characteristics that may result between each ofantennas 101 and the antennas of a transmitting station. In some MIMOembodiments, antennas 101 may be separated by up to 1/10 of a wavelengthor more.

FIG. 2 illustrates communications within a WLAN 102 when the wirelessnetwork adapter 120 within the computing device 122 acts as an AP andcommunicates via the communication paths 132. In this way,communications among the various devices 130 are each directed to thewireless network adapter 120 which relays the communication from asource to a destination.

FIG. 3 illustrates communications within a WLAN 102 when the wirelessnetwork adapter 120 within the computing device 122 acts as a STA andcommunicates via a communication path 142 with an AP 140. The WLAN 102includes other STAs 150, which also may communicate with each other viacommunication paths 142 and through an AP140.

While the wireless network adapter 120 of communication device 120operates as an AP in the WPAN 104 it may not be available to operate asan STA in the WLAN 102. In an example embodiment, the wireless networkadapter 120 operates as AP and STA simultaneously, wherein the AP andthe STA operate during different time slots, such as in a Time DivisionMultiplex (TDM) manner. The wireless network adapter 120 operates duringa first time portion as an STA and during a second time portion as anAP. The time portions may be different lengths to accommodate theoperational requirements of the computing device 122 in each network.FIG. 4 illustrates the timing of such operation, wherein from time t₁ totime t₂ the wireless network adapter 120 operates as a STA, and fromtime t₃ to the time t₄ the wireless network adapter 120 operates as anAP. When the WLAN operation is idle, the wireless network adapter 120operates as a STA from time t₅ to the time t₆.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, when the wireless network adapter 120 operatesas an AP, multiple devices 130 in WPAN 104 connect with each otherthrough the AP, or wireless network adapter 120. And as illustrated inFIG. 3, when the wireless network adapter operates as an STA, thewireless network adapter 120 connects with a WLAN AP 140 to communicatewith other devices 150 in WLAN 102, this network may be a conventionalWLAN network. In these scenarios, the WLAN 102 and the WPAN 104 may beallocated to a same communication channel, wherein the performance ofeach network impacts the other network. In some examples thecommunication paths 132 and communication paths 142 utilize a sameover-the-air resource, and therefore traffic conditions for the WLAN mayimpact the bandwidth of the WPAN. To avoid this impact, some embodimentsutilize separate channels for WLAN and WPAN operation. In other words,the WLAN and WPAN transmit on different channels. As different channelsare used during each operating time, the AP in the WPAN 104 is notavailable when the wireless network adapter 120 operates as the STA inthe WLAN. During the time slot, such as t₁ to t₂, for operation as anSTA, and operates on a first communication channel. When the wirelessnetwork adapter 120 operates as the AP in the WPAN, such as during timet₃ to t₄, the AP communicates on a second communication channel. Duringthe time slot t_(i) to t₂, any communications received from within theWPAN on the second communication channel may be missed, as the wirelessnetwork adapter 120 is operating on the first communication channel.Therefore, a mechanism is used to alert devices 150 of the WPAN 104 asto the time slot during which the wireless network adapter 120 may beunavailable or absent with respect to communications within WPAN 104. Insome embodiments, the alert indicates to the devices 120 when and howlong the AP will not be available to receive communications.

In an example embodiment the alert is provided as a Notice Of Absence(NOA) according to a NOA protocol. The NOA is provided as an indicatorto the devices 150, or STAs, in the WPAN 104 and provides information asto a start time of the absence and length of time for the absence.During the absence, the AP of the WPAN 104 will not be available toreceive or send communications in the WPAN 104. In response to the NOA,the individual devices 150 will disable transmission for the absencetime, and enable transmission upon expiration of the absence time. Someembodiments implement an NOA protocol in at least one driver and/orwithin the firmware of the wireless network adapter 120. As illustratedin FIG. 5, the NOA is provided concurrently with the time slot duringwhich the WLAN is operational. The NOA 500 is transmitted as anInformation Element (IE) from time t₃ to time t₄. An example of the NOA500 is illustrated in FIG. 6A as NOA 600 including a first portion orfield 602 for a start time of the absence and a second portion or field604 for an absence duration. In this way, the NOA 600 identifies theduration and start time of each absence, indicating when and how longthe AP is not available in the WPAN 104.

Within the wireless network adapter 120, an AP driver, creates the NOAas an IE and adds the NOA IE into a beacon frame for transmission. Thewireless network adapter 120 transmits the NOA with the beacon frame tothe WPAN. Each of the devices 150, operating as an STA, includes an STAdriver whereupon receipt of the transmitted beacon frame from thewireless network adapter 120, the device 150 parses the NOA IE and sendsretrieved information to firmware within the device 150 to controltransmissions. The information sent to the firmware may be in the formof a command identifying the duration from a start time for the APabsence. The firmware is to disable transmissions during the absence andto enable transmissions after the absence ends.

FIG. 6B illustrates a NOA 610 according to an example embodiment,including an element ID 612, a length 614, an index 616, a number 618,duration 620, period 622 and a start time 624. The element ID 612 is theNOA element identified. The index 616 is a field to identify theinstance of the NOA 610. The number 618 is the number of absences. Theduration 620 identifies the length in time of the absence. The period622 indicates the interval between two successive periods of absence,and may be expressed in specified units, for example, 32 microsecondunits. The start time 624 indicates when the absence will begin, whereintiming is relative to the start time 624. The NOA 610 may be provided ina specific IE of the beacon or in the probe response.

FIG. 6C illustrates a NOA IE 630 according to an example embodiment. TheNOA IE 630 includes an element ID 632, a length 632, an OUI 636, aprotocol field 638, a sub element ID 640, a sub element length 642, anda sub element body 644. The NOA IE 630 may be a vendor specific IE usedto create a sub-element space for new point to point IEs, wherein theNOA IE may include multiple IEs. The sub-element defines the NOA, suchas where the sub-element ID 640, the sub-element length 642 and thesub-element body 644 are defined by the set of fields for element ID646, length 648, index 650, number 652, duration 654, period 656 andstart time 658, as defined in FIG. 6B. The duration 654, period 656 andstart time 658 may be optionally included.

FIG. 6D illustrates an NOA action frame 660 having a category 662,length 664, OUI 666, protocol 668, action 670, dialogue token 672, andaction body for the IE 674. The action 670, dialogue token 672, andaction body 674 are used to define the NOA, and represent action 676,dialogue token 678, element ID 680, index 684, number 686, duration 690,period 692 and start time 694. In some embodiments the duration 690,period 692 and start time 694 are optionally provided.

A network adapter 120 may be included within a computing device, or mayadd functionality when communicatively coupled to a computing device.FIG. 7 illustrates a computing device 700 including a network adapter,having a controller 714 to control operations within the computingdevice 700 and operation of the AP driver 702 and AP firmware 708 whileoperating as a WPAN module. The AP driver 702 implements protocols andprocedures associated with operating as an AP, including provision andtiming of signaling and other messages. When operating as an AP, thecomputing device 700 relays and routes calls to and from various deviceswithin the WPAN. The controller 714 further controls storing of data,information and control in memory 710 as well as retrieval therefrom.The computing device 700 further includes transceiver circuitry 704 tofacilitate communications in a WPAN and communications in a WLAN. The APfirmware 708 includes code, instructions and control information foroperation as an AP. The controller 714 also controls operation of thecomputing device 700 when operating in the WLAN as a STA by controllingSTA driver 706 and STA firmware 712. The computing device 700communicates with an external AP within the WLAN through which thecomputing device 700 sends messages and responds to messages. The STAfirmware 712 includes code, instructions and control information foroperation as an STA.

In operation, the devices within the WPAN 104 include functionality toreceive a NOA and control the transmissions to the wireless networkadapter 120. The operations are detailed in the process flow of method800 in FIG. 8. For operation of the wireless network adapter 120 as anAP in the WPAN 104 operation of the AP includes activities to generatean absence IE at operation 804, adding the absence IE to a beacon frameat operation 806, and sending the beacon frame at operation 808. Foroperation of the wireless network adapter 120 as an STA in a WLAN 102,operation of a device within the WLAN 102 includes activities to receivethe beacon frame at operation 810, wherein the beacon frame is receivedfrom the AP. The device then parses the absence IE included in thebeacon frame at operation 812, and sends the information to firmware ofthe device. The information includes a command identifying the absencestart time and duration at operation 814. The device parses the durationand start time of the absence at operation 816 and then disables andenables transmissions according to the absence IE. Specifically, theabsence IE or NOA IE provides information to identify a time whentransmissions may be sent to the AP.

FIG. 9 illustrates operation of some embodiments of the wireless networkadapter 120, wherein the WLAN interface 910 and the WPAN interface 908both receive information from Transfer Control Protocol (TCP)/InternetProtocol (IP) stacks 900 and 902. Further, the WPAN interface 908communicates with a configuration server, such as the Dynamic HostConfiguration Protocol (DHCP) server 904. The WLAN interface 910 istasked with controlling operation of the wireless network adapter 120 asa STA in the WLAN 102. The WPAN interface 908 is tasked with controllingoperation of the wireless network adapter 120 as an AP in the WPAN 104.The WLAN interface 910 and the WPAN interface 908 are coupled to the MUXdriver 912 for communication with a miniport driver 914. The WLANinterface 910, the WPAN interface 908, and the MUX driver 912 are partof a MUX intermediate driver 906.

In some embodiments, a machine-readable medium is comprised ofinstructions, which when implemented by one or more machines, cause theone or more machines to receive a registration request from a serviceprovider, store a set of information for the service provider in amemory storage unit, and transmit an indication of the service providerto at least one service consumer in the wireless communication network.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, terms such as “processing,”“computing,” “calculating,” “determining,” “displaying,” or the like,may refer to an action and/or process of one or more processing orcomputing systems or similar devices that may manipulate and transformdata represented as physical (e.g., electronic) quantities within aprocessing system's registers and memory into other data similarlyrepresented as physical quantities within the processing system'sregisters or memories, or other such information storage, transmissionor display devices. Furthermore, as used herein, a computing deviceincludes one or more processing elements coupled with computer-readablememory that may be volatile or non-volatile memory or a combinationthereof.

Embodiments may be implemented in one or a combination of hardware,firmware, and software. Embodiments may also be implemented asinstructions stored on a machine-readable medium, which may be read andexecuted by at least one processor to perform the operations describedherein. A machine-readable medium may include any mechanism for storingor transmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., acomputer). A machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to,FLASH memory, optical disks, Compact Disks-Read Only Memory (CD-ROM),Digital Versatile/Video Disks (DVD), Read Only Memory (ROM), RandomAccess Memory (RAM), EPROM, Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-OnlyMemory (EEPROM), magnetic or optical cards, or other type ofmachine-readable media suitable for storing electronic instructions. Forexample, embodiments may be downloaded as a computer program, which maybe transferred from a remote computer (e.g., a server) to a requestingcomputer (e.g., a client) by way of data signals via a communicationlink (e.g., a modem or network connection).

It should be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to“one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature,structure or characteristic described in connection with at least oneembodiment. Therefore, it should be appreciated that two or morereferences to “an embodiment” or “one embodiment” or “an alternativeembodiment” in various portions of this specification are notnecessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, theparticular features, structures or characteristics may be combined assuitable in one or more embodiments.

Similarly, it should be appreciated that in the foregoing description ofembodiments, various features are sometimes grouped together in a singleembodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose ofstreamlining the disclosure, aiding in the understanding of one or moreof the various inventive aspects. This method of disclosure, however, isnot to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimedsubject matter requires more features than are expressly recited in eachclaim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie inless than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus,the claims following the detailed description are hereby expresslyincorporated into this detailed description, with each claim standing onits own as a separate embodiment

Having disclosed embodiments and the best mode, modifications andvariations may be made to the disclosed embodiments while remainingwithin the scope of the embodiments as defined by the following claims.The Abstract is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. Section 1.72(b)requiring an abstract that will allow the reader to ascertain the natureand gist of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with theunderstanding that it will not be used to limit or interpret the scopeor meaning of the claims. The following claims are hereby incorporatedinto the detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as aseparate embodiment.

1. A method for a wireless network adapter, comprising: generating anNotice Of Absence (NOA) Information Element (IE) to identify a starttime for a time slot during which the wireless network adapter is tooperate in a first network and a duration of the time slot; adding theNOA IE to a beacon frame; and transmitting the beacon frame with the NOAIE to a second network.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:operating the wireless network adapter in the first network during thetime slot; and operating the wireless network adapter in the secondnetwork after expiration of the time slot.
 3. The method of claim 2,wherein the first network is a Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN),the method further comprising operating the wireless network adapter asan Access Point (AP) in the WPAN.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein thesecond network is a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), the methodfurther comprising operating the wireless network adapter as a mobilestation in the WLAN.
 5. A wireless network adapter, comprising: anAccess Point (AP) control unit to operate within a first network and togenerate an Notice of Absence (NOA) Information Element (IE) to identifya period of time when the wireless network adapter will not be availableas an AP in the first network; and a mobile station control unit foroperation within a second network, wherein the wireless network adapteroperates in the second network during the period of time.
 6. Thewireless network adapter of claim 5, wherein the first network is aWireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) and the second network is aWireless Local Area Network (WLAN), and wherein the first and secondnetwork communications are time division multiplexed on a samecommunication channel.
 7. The wireless network adapter of claim 6,wherein the NOA IE identifies a start time of the period of time and aduration of the period of time.
 8. The wireless network adapter of claim7, wherein the AP control unit is adapted to add the NOA IE to a beaconsignal transmitted in the first network.
 9. The wireless network adapterof claim 8, further comprising: a transmitter coupled to the AP controlunit and the mobile station control unit, wherein the transmittercommunicates with the second network during the period of time andcommunicates with the first network during a second period of timedifferent from the period of time.
 10. The wireless network adapter ofclaim 9, further comprising: AP memory storing instructions to controloperation of the wireless network adapter in the first network; andmobile station memory storing instruction to control operation of thewireless network adapter in the second network.
 11. The wireless networkadapter of claim 5, wherein the transmitter is further to transmit abeacon in the first network.
 12. The wireless network adapter of claim11, wherein the wireless network adapter is coupled to a computingdevice.
 13. A wireless network adapter of claim 5, wherein the APcontrol unit is part of a WPAN interface coupled to a configurationserver, and the mobile station control unit is part of a WLAN interface.14. The wireless network adapter of claim 13, further comprising aMultiplex (MUX) driver coupled to the WPAN interface and to the WLANinterface, the MUX driver adapted to couple one of the WLAN interfaceand the WPAN interface to a port driver.
 15. The wireless networkadapter of claim 5, wherein the wireless network adapter is to: operatein a first network in accordance with an IEEE 802.11 standard: operatein a second network in accordance with an IEEE 802.15 standard: generatethe NOA IE to identify a start time for a time slot during which thewireless network adapter is to operate in the first network and aduration of the time slot; add the period of time as an absence NOA IEto a beacon frame; transmit the beacon frame with the absence NOA IE tothe second network to indicate to that the wireless network adapter isavailable to operate in the second network.
 16. A computing device,comprising: a transceiver to receive communications in a wireless areanetwork, the transceiver adapted to receive a Notice Of Absence (NOA)Information Element (IE); a memory storage unit to storecomputer-readable instructions to: parse the NOA IE and retrieve theduration and start time of an absence period; disable transmissionsaccording to the NOA IE; and enable transmissions according to the NOAIE.
 17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the wireless areanetwork is a Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN).
 18. The computingdevice of claim 17, wherein the NOA IE is included in a beacon framereceived from a wireless network adapter.
 19. The computing device as inclaim 18, wherein the transceiver is further to parse the NOA IE fromthe beacon frame.
 20. The computing device as in claim 19, wherein thecomputer-readable instructions are firmware in the memory storage unitand the transceiver is adapted to receive updates to the firmware, andwherein the computing device comprises a controller to store the updatesin the firmware and to control operation of the firmware.